NAMM 2010 Round-up: The Best New Portable Recorders

We all love a good portable recorder. Whether at gigs, band rehearsals, lectures or meetings, portable recorders are versatile tools that just keep getting more and more popular. Here's a look at the best ones, anounced at NAMM 2010.

1) Yamaha Pocketrak C24 and W24

Yamaha revolutionized portable recording with the original Pocketrak, and these new Pocketrak releases are very exciting and will certainly be as sucessful as the previous models. The two new models of POCKETRAK (Yamaha Pocketrak C24 and Yamaha Pocketrak W24) incorporate 24bit/96kHz sound quality and superb operating ease giving both professional and amateur musicians all the recording capabilities they want!

Sound quality has been the driving force behind the development of these pocket recorders however practicality has definitely not been forgotten. Both the C24 and W24 are supplied with 2Gb of internal memory allowing them to record up to 13 hours of mp3 quality recording 'straight from the box' and if the internal 2Gb storage is not enough, both models are expandable using standard microSD cards.

2) Korg Sound On Sound

Talk about "Pocket Symphonies"! With the new, amazing Korg Sound On Sound recorder, you can record an unlimited number of overdubs, to preserve and capture all of your inspired moments!

With the Korg Sound On Sound, the only limit is your own inspiration...this portable recorder is the stuff Brian Wilson and Phil Spector could only dream of in their time...now available to you!

3) Alesis VideoTrack

The Alesis VideoTrack is a portable video recorder designed for musicians capturing gigs and rehearsals, and is equally useful for everyday applications such as a night out, kids' soccer matches or creating videos to share on Web sites such as YouTube. Your life is the film, and you are the director!

The VideoTrack employs Alesis' renowned audio recording technology including the same high-quality stereo condenser microphone set found on the ProTrack handheld recorder for iPod.

The VideoTrack has a quality video lens and advanced DSP image-processing technology. In addition to working as a video camera, the VideoTrack doubles as a handy still-image camera for on-the-go snapshots. Users can operate the VideoTrack on either its internal, rechargeable battery, or plugged into a wall-power source. It records onto standard SD cards and connects via USB to virtually any Mac or PC for easy video transfer.

4) Tascam DR-2d and DR-08

TASCAM's DR-2d Portable Digital Recorder brings high-resolution recording to a compact, affordable package. It offers up to 96kHz/24-bit WAV or MP3 recording to SD cards, and recordings can be transferred to computer through high-speed USB 2.0. A new dual recording feature records a copy of your audio at a lower level, so if the level suddenly jumps you have a backup instead of a distorted performance.

TASCAM's compact DR-08 portable digital recorder packs serious audio quality into a handheld dynamo that fits in your pocket. It captures audiophile-quality 96kHz/24-bit WAV files - or web-friendly MP3 files - to robust MicroSD media. The built-in microphones have a unique mechanism to change the width and angle of the elements, allowing you to tailor the pattern for the perfect recording. There's even a built-in kickstand for placing the recorder right where you want it. A pair of AAA batteries allows you to record for hours to the included 2GB card, then transfer the recording to your computer using high-speed USB 2.0.

5)Alesis PalmTrack

With the Alesis PalmTrack Handheld SD Recorder musicians can record stereo or surround audio directly to an SD or SDHC card up to 16GB with the pocket-sized PalmTrack. They can capture live sound anywhere and anytime without a single cable. The PalmTrack is perfect for recording quality sound in a wide variety of settings from rehearsals, jam sessions, and gigs to conferences, lectures, and classes to interviews and meetings.

Recording with the Alesis PalmTrack is easy and flexible. Users simply insert the included batteries and SD card and press record. They can monitor while recording in headphones and watch the real-time level meters, or just switch on Auto Mic Gain and let the PalmTrack take the hassle out of recording. When they’re done recording, they can listen on the PalmTrack’s built-in speaker, using headphones, connecting the PalmTrack to a Mac or PC with its mini USB jack or by removing the SD card and inserting it into their computer’s SD card slot or reader.

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